These are two plot bunnies which describe a divergence from Canon. Anyone who wants to follow through with them – just let me know what story to read. Quotes from JKR are in bold.
Bunny 2: Harry reacts quite differently.
"Harry!" Neville burst Out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag -"
Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them.
"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."
It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue.
"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Professor McGonagall. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"
Harry caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt. Poor, blundering Neville - Harry knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them.
"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, …"
Harry, who normally never wanted to call attention to himself, finally snapped. He could take abuse for himself, but he didn't like to see his friends blamed. To him, it was either Hermione and Neville or Hagrid who was an adult after all. And he would never side with an adult – no matter how friendly – over friends his own age.
"Professor!" Professor McGonagall was shocked that she was interrupted. "I would never think another student getting in trouble or trying to save me was funny. The truth is … we did have a dragon."
Professor McGonagall stared at Harry with some incredulity. "Explain yourself!"
Hermione and Neville were both shocked. Hermione was all set to accept punishment, as was Neville, but neither expected this.
Harry looked at the Deputy Headmistress and said, "It was Hagrid's. He won a dragon's egg at a poker game at some tavern. He hatched it in his hut. It's a Norwegian Ridgeback. Ron, Hermione, and I tried to convince him that it was a bad idea. He wouldn't listen. "Finally, we convinced him that raising a dragon in a wooden house was dangerous. And it already bit Ron's hand, which is why he's in the infirmary. So we contacted Ron's brother, Charlie, and arranged to send it to the Reserve he works at. We were trying to not let Hagrid get in trouble and Draco was trying to get us in trouble. He stole the letter out of my book telling us it was hatching. We had to meet the people who were taking the dragon to the Reserve tonight.
"So, if I'm going to get in trouble for trying to keep Hagrid out of prison, I'd rather get punished for what I actually did instead of something made-up. Since the dragon is gone now, Hagrid can't be caught with it and sent to prison. And I'm a child, so any testimony from me won't be valid without my guardian's permission. And since they absolutely despise magic and me, they won't want anything to do with any magic court."
Professor McGonagall was looking at her student with a number of emotions. She didn't know if she should be angry, horrified, or proud.
Finally she shook her head and said, "You're still out of bounds. You will each lose twenty points and have a detention for being out of bounds past curfew. I will have to talk to the Headmaster about this."
Harry shrugged and let himself be led back, along with the other two, to the Gryffindor common room.
Plot Bunny 2 ½: Harry agrees with Malfoy? (Instead of protesting when they were caught, it progresses until:
Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.
Professor McGonagall
Harry had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. He half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Harry, she felt they deserved what they'd got.
At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there - and so was Malfoy. Harry had also forgotten that Malfoy had gotten a detention, too.
"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.
I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes... hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."
They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted.
The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.
"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."
Harry's heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. His relief must have showed in his -face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy - it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."
At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.
"The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night - there's all sorts of things in there - werewolves, I heard."
Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise.
"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"
Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.
"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?"
"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, they're here to be punished, after all."
"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."
"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.
Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.
"I'm not going in that forest, he said, and Harry was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.
"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yehve got ter pay fer it."
"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd
tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or Yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on"'
Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.
"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."
He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.
"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."
"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.
"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."
Before Malfoy could continue with whatever he was about to say, Harry piped up.
"Wait a second! You just said it's dangerous. You said as long as we're with you, we'll be okay. Then you say we're splitting up. Are we being protected or are we being sent into danger?"
Hagrid was both confused – and annoyed. Of all of the people he expected flak from, Harry wasn't on the list. "It's a detention. An' it'll be fine."
Harry shook his head. "Hagrid, you're my first friend I ever had but what you consider fine and what I consider fine are two different things. I already got in trouble being out late 'when it's so dangerous' – McGonagall's words, not mine – and I don't think it's right that I accept being put in danger again. So, if I get sent home, fine. I suffered ten years with my relatives, I guess I can live through five more. I'm in trouble for was trying to keep … someone else … from being in trouble. But I have limits."
At that, he turned and walked back to the castle. Hermione and Draco followed after. Hagrid was disappointed with Harry, but at the same time he knew Harry was right. He was in trouble for helping take care of Norbert.